Egypt Predicts 5.6% Economic Growth

A general view of buildings by the Nile River in Cairo, Egypt January 28, 2021. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
A general view of buildings by the Nile River in Cairo, Egypt January 28, 2021. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
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Egypt Predicts 5.6% Economic Growth

A general view of buildings by the Nile River in Cairo, Egypt January 28, 2021. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
A general view of buildings by the Nile River in Cairo, Egypt January 28, 2021. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

Egyptian Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala Al-Saeed said that the country was expected to have an economic growth of 5.6% in the 2021-2022 fiscal year.

“Egypt has firmly faced the Covid-19 crisis thanks to the reforms implemented since 2016,” the ministry’s Facebook page quoted the minister as saying during an event on Tuesday.

She continued: “Despite the economic repercussions of the pandemic, economic growth is expected to rebound strongly to 5.6% in the fiscal year 2021-2022,” which concludes at the end of June 2022.

Saeed noted that Egypt ranked second among the most attractive Arab destinations for foreign direct investment in 2020 and was the largest recipient of foreign direct investment in Africa the same year, with inflows into the country representing 15% of the total USD39.8 billion coming to the continent.

The Egyptian government has invested in infrastructure in recent years, the minister remarked, explaining that the government’s participation was necessary to stimulate growth and pave the way for the engagement of the private sector.

Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat said, for her part, that the Board of Executive Directors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank approved a financing of USD360 million for Egypt.

The minister added that the funding aimed to support the state’s efforts to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and to strengthen the economic and structural reform program.

This comes as Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced on Tuesday that his country intended to list five to six state-owned companies on the stock exchange before the end of the current fiscal year.

He added that the move was intended to stimulate trading in the Egyptian Stock Exchange, which recorded the worst performance this year among emerging markets.



Oil Rises as US Strikes on Iran Raise Fears Over Shaky Truce

FILE PHOTO: A small tanker sails near an oil refinery, in the Keihin Industrial Zone in Kawasaki, south of Tokyo, Japan March 17, 2026.  REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A small tanker sails near an oil refinery, in the Keihin Industrial Zone in Kawasaki, south of Tokyo, Japan March 17, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo
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Oil Rises as US Strikes on Iran Raise Fears Over Shaky Truce

FILE PHOTO: A small tanker sails near an oil refinery, in the Keihin Industrial Zone in Kawasaki, south of Tokyo, Japan March 17, 2026.  REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A small tanker sails near an oil refinery, in the Keihin Industrial Zone in Kawasaki, south of Tokyo, Japan March 17, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo

Oil prices gained more than 2% on Wednesday after the US military launched airstrikes against Iran and reimposed crude sales sanctions, raising fears their fragile truce was unravelling and Middle East supplies could be disrupted again.

Brent crude futures gained $1.92, or 2.6%, at $76.08 a barrel at 0400 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude climbed $1.82, or 2.6%, to $72.26 a barrel, Reuters reported.

Both benchmarks rose about 3% on Tuesday after the US revoked the general license authorizing the sale of Iranian crude following the Iranian attacks.

"While the revocation doesn't fundamentally change oil market dynamics, it's important from a sentiment perspective. It heightens the risk of a breakdown in the temporary deal between the US and Iran," ING commodity ⁠strategists said on ⁠Wednesday.

The US airstrikes were in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels that were transiting the Strait of Hormuz, US Central Command said on Tuesday.

"The current conflagration is a reminder to the market of how fragile passage through the Strait still is," said Saul Kavonic, head of research at MST Marquee.

"This presents a contrary indicator to the prevailing sentiment that the market could be flooded into oversupply, which may scare some of the record short positioning to cover," he ⁠said, adding that if tensions persist and traffic through the waterway remains below 50% of pre-war levels, the resulting supply constraints could support higher oil prices.

After the US and Iran signed their truce agreement last month, oil prices tumbled back to pre-war levels and traders amassed large short positions in oil futures, or bets that prices would fall further.

Expectations of a wave of pent-up Middle East supply coming onto the market caused the price declines.

The latest attacks renewed concerns about tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which carried cargoes equal to about one-fifth of global energy supply before the war began in February.

Since the war started, nations have drawn down their inventories to make up for the supply shortfall.


Saudi Investment Ministry to Participate in LEAP East 2026 to Showcase Opportunities

Saudi Investment Ministry to Participate in LEAP East 2026 to Showcase Opportunities
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Saudi Investment Ministry to Participate in LEAP East 2026 to Showcase Opportunities

Saudi Investment Ministry to Participate in LEAP East 2026 to Showcase Opportunities

The Saudi Ministry of Investment, represented by Invest Saudi, will participate in LEAP East 2026, which will take place in Hong Kong from July 8 to 10, as part of its efforts to strengthen the Kingdom's presence on the global investment stage.

The participation aims to showcase Saudi Arabia's investment environment in the information and communications technology (ICT) and entrepreneurship sectors, while enhancing engagement with global investors and technology companies.

The Invest Saudi pavilion will feature representatives from Saudi Arabia's investment ecosystem to provide information and services to investors and showcase the Kingdom's investment enablers, including its regulatory framework, advanced digital infrastructure, and incentives and services that facilitate the investor journey.

It will also highlight investment opportunities in artificial intelligence, data centers, cloud computing, and emerging technologies.

The participation highlights Saudi Arabia's competitiveness in the technology sector. The Kingdom ranks among the world's leaders in 5G speeds, has one of the highest fiber-optic penetration rates globally, and hosts the world's leading cloud service providers, reinforcing its position as a regional hub for the digital economy and advanced technologies.

The participation also showcases Saudi Arabia's entrepreneurship ecosystem and the programs and enablers it offers to support the establishment and growth of startups.

It will promote the Startup Saudi Program and strengthen engagement with investors, venture capital funds and international partners, helping attract high-quality investments and forge strategic partnerships.

The participation builds on the investment ecosystem's efforts to attract foreign direct investment, strengthen partnerships with global technology companies, and support knowledge transfer and technology localization.

It reinforces Saudi Arabia's position as a global destination for high-value investments and a regional hub for business and investment.


Iran War Adds $5 Billion to Exxon Mobil's Quarterly Profit

Exxon Mobil company logo is shown in this illustrative image (Reuters)
Exxon Mobil company logo is shown in this illustrative image (Reuters)
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Iran War Adds $5 Billion to Exxon Mobil's Quarterly Profit

Exxon Mobil company logo is shown in this illustrative image (Reuters)
Exxon Mobil company logo is shown in this illustrative image (Reuters)

US oil and gas major Exxon Mobil signaled on Tuesday that its second-quarter earnings could see a boost of about $5 billion compared to the previous quarter, as oil prices spiked during the US-Israeli war with Iran and the company's refining margins also improved.

Investors scrutinize Exxon's earnings snapshot for signals on how oil firms will perform when they release second-quarter results, Reuters reported.

The conflict in the Middle East that began in February injected a hefty geopolitical risk premium into oil ⁠markets. For months, it ⁠virtually shut down the Strait of Hormuz, which carries about a fifth of global oil flows.

Benchmark Brent crude had an average closing price of $96.68 per barrel during the April-June quarter, up 23% from the first three months of the year.

Prices climbed to $109.27 a barrel in ⁠April for the first time since 2022.

Exxon's upstream segment could see profits lifted by about $1.6 billion, according to the midpoint of estimates provided by the company.

Earnings from refining could see a lift of about $2.6 billion due to so-called timing effects, according to Exxon's regulatory filing on Tuesday.

Exxon took a multi-billion dollar hit in the first quarter due to financial hedging related to physical deliveries of cargoes.

It said at the time that the positions would unwind and lead ⁠to profitability in ⁠subsequent quarters.

Disruptions due to the war could hurt second-quarter profit across the upstream and downstream units by about $1 billion, the filing showed.

The company will report second-quarter results on July 31. Analysts expect Exxon to report $15.7 billion in adjusted earnings for the quarter, according to consensus analyst estimates compiled by LSEG, about triple first quarter earnings.

This could raise eyebrows among Americans feeling pain at the pump. US President Donald Trump has pressed oil companies to do more to lower gasoline prices.